Mineral Wells, TX

To really understand the special kind of crazy surrounding this town, you’ll want to visit Downtown Mineral Wells where tucked away in a parking lot, you’ll find the well that started it all. Tired of traveling to other towns for fresh water, James Lynch dug his own well in the 1900s. After drinking from it, he noticed that he felt healthier than he ever had. People traveled from near and far to get a taste of his healing water and so Mineral Wells was built.

Sadly, all of the wells dried up but one. If you’re hoping for a taste of the crazy, you can find it at the Famous Mineral Water Co. The company bottles the water from the remaining well and sales this liquid vitamin in water bottles and sodas.

While you’re in town, you should also check out the hauntingly beautiful Baker Hotel and Crazy Water Hotel. Both were built during the crazy water hay day to accommodate the massive crowds that flooded into town just for a taste of the healing waters. And both, which are still standing today, were abandoned after all the wells dried up. However, the Baker Hotel is in the process of being restored, and it’ll even include the famous mineral water spas!

Just outside of town, you’ll find Fort Wolters, the largest base for helicopter pilots during the Vietnam War. You can learn about this well-known base just a little further down the road at the National Vietnam War Museum. In the museum, you can see the iconic UH1 (or “Huey”) Helicopters that pilots learned to fly here or pay your respects at the Vietnam Memorial Garden, a half-scale replica of the memorial in Washington D.C.

For some good, clean fun, head over to the Laumdronat Washing Machine Museum to learn about the evolution of the washing machine. You can also do your laundry because it is a full-functioning laundromat as well.